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The U.S. workforce needs to be revamped and the administration wants to hear from industry leaders how it can achieve this. The need to find workers is paramount given the 7.3 million job openings which exceed the number of people unemployed, according to the Commerce Department.

On Feb. 13 the Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced the 25 members of the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board. Top manufacturing members include Tim Cook, CEO, Apple, -Marillyn Hewson, CEO, Lockheed Martin, -Barbara Humpton, CEO, Siemens USA and -Ginni Rometty, CEO, IBM. (A full list can be found at end of the article.)

“This Administration is committed to making sure all Americans can participate in the opportunities created by the booming economy," said Ivanka Trump co-chair of the Advisory Board. We want all Americans to have the skills and opportunities to secure good paying jobs and successfully navigate technological disruptions and the rapidly changing nature of work.”

The Advisory Board, whose terms last until July 2020, includes members from the private sector, educational institutions, and state and local governments. The goal is to have varied perspectives on workforce issues facing communities and businesses across the country, while raising awareness of multiple pathways for American workers to obtain faily-sustaining careers.

The Advisory Board’s recommendations will help guide the National Council’s critical work in establishing a strategy to ensure that America’s students and workers have access to affordable, relevant, and innovative education and job training that will equip them to compete and win in the global economy. As part of this strategy, the Advisory Board will assist in:

Developing a national campaign promoting multiple education and training pathways that lead to family-sustaining careers;

Recommending a specific course of action for improving labor market data to better match American workers and students with the skills and competencies employers demand;

Identifying strategies to improve private sector investments in American students and workers to establish a culture of lifelong learning; and

Increasing transparency and outcomes of education and job training programs, as well as enhancing skills-based hiring to better identify the needs companies seek in job applicants.

The members of the Board include:

Jay Box, President, Kentucky Community and Technical College System

Walter Bumphus, CEO, American Association of Community Colleges

Jim Clark, CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of America

Tim Cook, CEO, Apple

Tom Donohue, CEO, U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Juanita Duggan,CEO, National Federation for Independent Business

Elizabeth Goettl, CEO, Cristo Rey Network

Marillyn Hewson, CEO, Lockheed Martin

Eric Holcomb, Governor, Indiana

Barbara Humpton, CEO, Siemens USA

Al Kelly, CEO, Visa

Vi Lyles, Mayor, Charlotte, North Carolina

Bill McDermott, CEO, SAP America

Sean McGarvey, President, North America’s Building and Trades Unions

Doug McMillon, CEO, Walmart

Craig Menear, CEO, Home Depot

Michael Piwowar, Executive Director, Milken Institute

Scott Pulsipher, President, Western Governors University

Kim Reynolds, Governor, Iowa

Ginni Rometty, CEO, IBM

Scott Sanders, Executive Director, National Association of State Workforce Agencies